Sarasota is great. I live in a 55+ community. I wasn't looking for one but the condo I found when I was getting ready to retire happened to be in one and I loved the condo so I pursued it. Turns out I love living in this community. It's beautifully landscaped, the villas and condos are so attractive and there is so much to do here, both in and out of my community. It's about half and half Rs and Ds. Mostly nobody talks about politics though. Everyone with few exceptions has been very friendly and welcoming. I've been here a year now and found the activities I enjoy, and nobody cares whether you stay busy or prefer to have a lot of alone time. People care about each other but also respect privacy preferences.

When I bought a little over a year ago 1500 SqFt villas with two car garages were selling for around 250K, they are now over 350K. An 1100 SqFt 2/2 condo was around $140K and is now closer to $00K. A 1/1 was around 110K and now goes for around 170K. So that's kinda crazy (but also great for me and anyone who got in under the wire) but there are definitely nice places here in nice communities for less than $350K. There are also somewhat nicer places for more than that, and up to many millions if you want to be right on the water or have a large single family home on a big lot.

My community is about ten minutes from fantastic beaches, all kinds of shopping and restaurants are nearby, ten minutes from downtown Sarasota and all that has to offer including a great cultural scene and many museums. I'm about 45 min to St. Pete and an hour to Tampa. Sarasota has a great airport that has many flights to many destinations, and there are several bigger airports in the Tampa area.

In my community there are a number of people who still work full time or part time, quite a few who are totally retired, lots who do volunteer work, many who are fit and active and some who are infirm or have typical ageing limitations. It's a good mix. Small pets are allowed. Kids can't live here but can visit and often do.

I highly recommend this life for retirees, snowbirds, and anyone who wants to live in a vibrant, fun place with lots to do, all kinds of people, great weather, nearby beaches and semi-urban attractions as well as great parks and green space (golf courses!).

my parents are quite happy here: https://www.davidweekleyhomes.com/page/encore-at-fishhawk-ranch

Villages is affordable since there are so many different types of housing. Check it out. Tons of activities and very friendly people. It has everything you will need.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Villages is honestly a fantastic place if you can see past the stereotypes. Housing at every price point. Hundreds of social clubs. Tons of activities. Town squares with restaurants, all reasonably priced; free concerts; etc. The people couldn’t be friendlier or more welcoming. They have a free three-day visit your parents can do to check it out. A good friend of mine moved there at a young age (60) and loves it.

Oh I don’t think they care about stereotypes and my mom has actually become pretty conservative in her old age. My dad is still a bleeding heart liberal. Thx!

My in-laws love it and it’s great for them. But it is a very conservative bubble and they have gotten noticeably more conservative since moving down there.

It’s definitely full of conservatives but my extremely liberal friend loves living there. He doesn’t talk politics with people. He’s made tons of friends and people aren’t as hyper focused on politics as they are here. They’re too busy living it up!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Villages is honestly a fantastic place if you can see past the stereotypes. Housing at every price point. Hundreds of social clubs. Tons of activities. Town squares with restaurants, all reasonably priced; free concerts; etc. The people couldn’t be friendlier or more welcoming. They have a free three-day visit your parents can do to check it out. A good friend of mine moved there at a young age (60) and loves it.

Oh I don’t think they care about stereotypes and my mom has actually become pretty conservative in her old age. My dad is still a bleeding heart liberal. Thx!

My in-laws love it and it’s great for them. But it is a very conservative bubble and they have gotten noticeably more conservative since moving down there.

Anonymous wrote:The Villages is honestly a fantastic place if you can see past the stereotypes. Housing at every price point. Hundreds of social clubs. Tons of activities. Town squares with restaurants, all reasonably priced; free concerts; etc. The people couldn’t be friendlier or more welcoming. They have a free three-day visit your parents can do to check it out. A good friend of mine moved there at a young age (60) and loves it.

Oh I don’t think they care about stereotypes and my mom has actually become pretty conservative in her old age. My dad is still a bleeding heart liberal. Thx!

The Villages is honestly a fantastic place if you can see past the stereotypes. Housing at every price point. Hundreds of social clubs. Tons of activities. Town squares with restaurants, all reasonably priced; free concerts; etc. The people couldn’t be friendlier or more welcoming. They have a free three-day visit your parents can do to check it out. A good friend of mine moved there at a young age (60) and loves it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The prices in Florida have skyrocketed and $350K won't get much of anything close to a population center.

Thanks all. Yes this is what I’m worried about. How do regular middle class parents do it? I’ll have to talk to my husband about chipping in to get them something comfortable.

This isn't true for retirement communities.

Anonymous wrote:The prices in Florida have skyrocketed and $350K won't get much of anything close to a population center.

Thanks all. Yes this is what I’m worried about. How do regular middle class parents do it? I’ll have to talk to my husband about chipping in to get them something comfortable.

The prices in Florida have skyrocketed and $350K won't get much of anything close to a population center.

My parents, now just my mom, really like Terra Vista at Citrus Hills. Its not the easiest to get to -- it's in Citrus County, north of Tampa and northeast of Orlando, but it's gorgeous. They bought about 15 years ago.

https://www.citrushills.com/

The Villages is popular.

Our friends also like Sarasota very much. My folks went between Naples and Cape Cod until their early 90s. They decided to establish residency in Florida in those years, but it was best to return home in 90s to a life care community. Mother passed away at 96 with dementia. Dad passed away several weeks shy of 100 with full faculties intact and still active until last three weeks when he thought he was in a very nice hotel (actually hospital and then skilled rehab due to kidney disease.) In Naples they were in a golf community which my dad liked. My mom liked taking adult classes there in computer use, Spanish and painting. My dad kept them both active and doing while there. He did Habitat weekly for over 20 years. They spent summers on Cape Cod.

My parents really like Sarasota Florida. I don't know of any communities though.

My dad broke his ankle and after surgery and a long stint in an inpatient rehab, my parents are open to selling their split level house and moving to Florida. They don’t know anyone there but they’re looking for weather and a healthy lifestyle which I support. Can anyone recommend a community firsthand? They are leaning toward Tampa but open to anything. Cost is definitely an issue. I expect their home is worth no more than 350,000. Thanks so much.